#what i love about that wood is there's so much variety. my pictures don't do that justice

[strangegreen]

Had a wonderful walk today!

[starflungwaddledee]

clearing my inbox of a variety of asks with text replies, or ones that will get art answers later but that i still figured i could get back to now with simpler responses in the interim.

lots of anons, but i'll ping anyone who i can!

topics include: general nice words + people's theories (thank you!!), dededesign, daroach (sorry), sentient ancient artifacts, magolor (sorry...), whispy woods (SORRY...). there's also a decent scattering of awtdy and clockwork heart tidbits but they're all over the place, and a small collection of increasingly desperate asks hoping bandee will be released from morpho dee 😂

oohh this one is actually super old, sorry that i never got back to it! i get a little overwhelmed by the Nice Words ones sometimes and i'm not sure what to say besides 'thank you!!' because it means a lot to me and 'thank you!' just sometimes feels like it doesn't cut it...?

anyway, i'm very grateful!! i'm thrilled if i could inspire you to try out any constructed-language work of your own!! i'd love to see more of that going on in the kirbyverse so if you ever give it a crack feel free to lmk!

i'm glad you like the full penguin dededesign; quite a few folks seemed to enjoy that actually and i was pleasantly surprised! i haven't drawn that much of most characters besides bandee, to be fair, but the next comic will be about dedede and should answer some of the other questions i've been getting about him too!

i should say that it's likely the totally full penguin design won't make it for the comic, because it's hard to draw the sheer length of their bills from many angles or having the expressiveness i need for dedede, and i really only did that one for funsies. but i'll hopefully find a nice compromise!

aaaa the joy of being mentally unwell about The Characters and The Story. thank you, glad i can be of service! 👍

this is quite perceptive of you to notice and it's definitely something that occurs in the timeline. due to galacta knight's influence (and kirby's altered reputation) visitors and threats- both international and intergalactic- start to think twice before risking an approach.

alas, because daroach appears in the timeline before galacta knight's switch-in occurs, he would already be in contact and friendship with kirby. that unfortunately means he'd meet the same fate as the rest of kirby's existing allies.

@i-only-created-this-to-read a little similar to the above ask, yes, the intergalactic picture of popstar is definitely changed by the presence of a violent, otherworldly warrior and a ruthless hero. i also answered your questions about necrodeus previously and am not sure what else to say about him.

i have confirmed before that dedede is not dead, and more about his scenario and overall role in the plot will be revealed in comics. but i will say that he's a smart guy, despite his silliness, and a loving king. he absolutely came to the same conclusion about the frequency of his own possessions as well, through no small amount of heartbreak.

i definitely headcanon the Lor as sentient; in the light novels, bandee also speaks to her fairly directly. i actually headcanon all the Ancient artifacts as having an amount of sentience (this seem in line with what we've seen in canon, so i don't think it's a reach) and the lor herself seems especially benevolent to me.

our headcanons for the novas are different to yours, though that plays more of a role in the clockwork heart au. i quite enjoy your theories about how the ending might go and you've definitely picked up some details!! i won't confirm or deny anything, but i will say the lor is present in the AU, and that magolor has enough knowledge of artifacts to know that a wish on a wishing star could be a viable solution.

it took a while for folks to start asking me about magolor actually, which i found kind of amusing because he's the deuteragonist (second protagonist, after bandee) of the au!

i do definitely think that canonically magolor lives on the lor starcutter; though he does say he wants to buy a holiday home on popstar! however in awtdy, unlike the dream land four three, magolor's entire timeline is trashed from the get-go by galacta knight's arrival

some of these answers will take me longer to get to as i'll provide them in comics (it should be a fun reveal at least), but i will say: he hates popstar. he hates it there. he'd give just about anything to be anywhere else.

until he meets bandee, of course.

the rest of popstar fare a little better or a little worse at various points in the au, kind of like in the mainline canon timeline. for the most part, galacta knight isn't that interested in most of popstar. he enjoys living there, it's peaceful and undeniably pleasant, and frankly he'd like to continue doing so!

he can be convinced (by kirby, and the maintenance of the lie) to perform care to some of its citizens when necessary- such as rebuilding after a crisis. but in general he minds his business in dream land, and occasionally off-world or interdimensionally with kirby and bandee on missions.

whispy, who also keeps to his own in the woods and is just a cantankerous old tree, is probably fine. at least up until star allies, when he, you know. gets possessed.

@pumpkinnkidd oh absolutely.

@torrentialchaos2 that would be a different story to chrysalis au, i think! one i could write, but haven't. chrysalis au is specifically about bandee, you can't really extract him from it? 😭 but if morpho possessed magolor it would depend on a lot of things: like what is everyone's relationship to him when it happens? i think even when he comes back from his redemption arc, magolor and the gang are friends, but it's not the same as bandee, who is a core member of their unit.

we've already seen what happens when magolor gets possessed and kirby has to Beat His Ass to get him back to normal. and we've seen that when morpho possesses others who are capable fighters, kirby doesn't hold back. so maybe that? magolor is a magical little guy; he's got a better chance of getting spat back out unscathed.

i could however probably write a version of this for magicapple if i wanted, which would be much more emotionally pulverising lmao

@trainerbob23 thank you!! this one took me a bit to respond to sorry, but i'm grateful for the warm welcome! the AUs are definitely my primary investment and i'm glad that folks are enjoying seeing them develop! some of them are connected to each other (awtdy + it's various endings/alts) but others are separate.

i also do have some backstory/lore for starstruck dee, which i'll hopefully get to soon as well. i would say that she is... very much related to stars and the cosmos, yes.

@eliastheownerof0axolotls this one was part of a longer ask (that i've answered part of, and still have another part of in my queue... sorry;; ) but i think this part- especially in terms of kirby- has probably been mostly answered by now! both kirby and dedede have significant roles!

i view dedede as having a mentor-like dynamic with bandee as well as with kirby, and they all care about each other very much! but (especially because they are all adults in my hc) he also absolutely trusts them to handle themselves.

referring to this post and the (cw angst) art at the end. i will hopefully answer some other asks about the clockwork heart au which will satisfy more of its overall premise and timeline and all, but in regards to the peculiar image...

why that picture is completely normal!! bandee is super fine and normal in it and everything is great and good and fine and fine and fine and fine!!! hhahaha!!!

(something very bad is happening, lmao. entirely doomed by the narrative.)

speaking of bandee being doomed by the narrative:

some tags here as well, but i just love the frequency of these...

bandee gets possessed one time and everybody loses it... quick!! when will he get unpossessed!!! save that little guy!!! he's sad so we're sad!! (relatable. everyone is so valid.)

the tags on the main posts about morpho dee are just full of people screaming and crying and being like "NOOO I HATE THIS SM I'M IN PAIN /pos" and it's so good hahahaha

sorry to the folks who hate to see him going through the blender, he's being spun in the microwave at like 90mph on my blog. but don't worry, chrysalis au does have a predictably good ending; though obviously bandee has some capital S Stuff to unpack afterwards!!

🌟⭐✨

aaand i think that's all for now! hopefully if you've been hanging out for an ask for a while you're answer is here, and if not (and possibly even if it is), it's most likely taking me so long because i want to do an answer with art.

i'll try not to let these build up again like this, thank you for your patience!

[willowbird]

I've always kinda wondered, do you know why AFTG fandom has leaned so hard into Neil being ginger when I don't think he is canonically? Like, I wouldn't say auburn = ginger, especially not the neon orange a lot of fanart has. He even describes his natural hair color as a shade of brown — "Neil had dyed his hair brown from time to time, but never this shade [...] This was his natural color[...]" (TRK, CH 16) etc. Like, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter at all lmao but I read the books before I saw any fanart, so I was surprised when I saw Neil looking like a Weasley lol.

Okay so I will preface this by saying that I am not someone who has strong feelings about the Neil Josten Auburn vs Ginger "discourse" that occasionally pops up. When I was younger, and my hair was longer, and I actually saw sunlight on a semi-regular basis - my hair was described as auburn so when I pictured Neil I pictured him with dark reddish-brown hair that was "reddish" in the sense that it was warm and had that red-glow in the sunlight but at a glance would definitely be described as "brown".

Coming onto tumblr and seeing fanart with him with red red and/or ginger looks was mildly surprising but I liked the combo of red hair & blue eyes so it didn't really faze me.

But you asked *why* and I thought about it, and well, here's how I think it happened:

First, know that unless you have auburn hair or know someone who you've heard describe their hair as auburn - and it's distinctly brown - you probably only have a vague idea of what "auburn" means. Red-brown is kind of vague when you think about it. Just think of all the different wood stains in the red-brown category! There's like 50!

And when you Google auburn hair, this is pretty much what you get:

Which definitely implies that "auburn" is "dark red" rather than "reddish-brown".

Once you have it in your head that auburn is a classification of "dark red" it's incredibly easy for creative license and interpretation to open that up into "red hair". From which the leaning will be toward "ginger" as that's a very popular aesthetic in fiction. A lot of people think ginger when being told a character has red hair, despite there being a lot of different shades of red hair that wouldn't necessarily be considered "ginger". And yes, a part of this is probably because when you think of redheads in pop culture, you get characters (like the Weasleys) who are ginger and are described by the more broad classification of having red hair/as redheads.

And so, even if you KNOW people with red hair who aren't gingers, or with auburn hair who aren't redheads, the association between "hair with red in it" to "ginger" becomes pretty easy and commonplace.

At least, this is my interpretation. Fanlore likes bandwagons, so maybe an artist once went "Oh but I like the combo of ginger/redhead with blue eyes let's do that for Neil" and people liked it and so it stuck *shrug* I only joined this fandom in 2020 so I couldn't tell you exactly how it started.

Either way, I think it's cool to see the different ways people interpret the characters. The fandom has kind of universally decided that Dan & Matt are Black and Renee is often drawn as being Asian, which is really cool. Also, the incredible variety of interpretation of the Minyards. Sometimes they're twinks, sometimes they're stocky lil boulder men. Curly hair, straight hair, every shade of blond imaginable. There isn't really a consensus when it comes to them like there is with many of the other characters.

We all just love them so much, and so when we write or draw them, we imbue more of what we like/love into the designs. That's kind of the beauty of fanworks. You can take something you already like and then add more of what you like to it! And then share it with other people who like it too!!

Anyway, I'm gonna stop here before I go on an extended rant about how much I love fanfiction as a Thing. Hope that helped answer your question!

xoxo - Will

[rmhashauthor]

hey! this is chance & here’s the prompt for week 6. what are your oc's bedrooms like? messy? neat? carefully designed? or a collection of their favorite things? you can verbally describe or use photos, whatever you think is best.

Sorry this took so long - it's festival season 😅

At this point, my ocs Valen and Fang share a room. It's actually an entire suite, because he's, you know, royalty.

For context, it's important to remember that the Drassian palace is actually a compound inside of a mountain. Because dragons. So, the actual design of the palace leans heavily on natural caverns and old lava tubes that have been cleared out and carved into more serviceable spaces like apartments, libraries, ballrooms and kitchens.

Valen's apartment is in a somewhat older wing of the palace, so his rooms are a little smaller. This is fine, because he and Fang don't take up as much room as the rest of the family. They don't need the extra room for kids, so they make do with a main chamber that serves as their living room/parlour and Valen's working space, the bedroom, and a bathroom that is essentially a hot spring cavern.

In my mind the hearth-room is very similar in design to the drawing room in an old European castle or mansion - there's a hearth big enough for a couple of people to stand in, bookshelves carved into the walls, and neat amenities like a cooling cabinet (refrigerator) and light fixtures. There are thick rugs and drapes to keep the chill under control, though the fire in the hearth and the hot spring in the bathroom keep the place reasonably warm. When I think about the furniture I think of a sturdier variety of Chinese wood furniture, with intricate carving and detailed embroidery. Valen keeps his educational certificates and things in frames attached to the walls, which is a subtle reminder to himself that he does have some things to be proud of.

The bedroom is the picture of luxury - a huge bed blanketed in silk comforters and quilts, soft lighting, more rugs and now it holds Fang's dressing-table as well as a chest of drawers for Valen's things. They both keep trays for jewelry and accessories, though Fang has a lot more as well as makeup, combs, perfumes and other ladies' things. Fang has a little bench to sit on and a huge mirror on the wall so she can do her makeup and hair, though Valen hired a maid to do that so really she can just watch as she's transformed from a reasonably attractive woman to basically a princess. Lots of red and gold in this room, along with the grey and white marble floor, walls and ceiling.

The marble continues into the bathroom, which like I described earlier is a hot spring cavern that's been carved and polished into a luxury bath with steam- and shower-stalls, adjustable lights, a giant basin that functions as the tub, and gold fixtures all around. The spring is heated by the lava tubes that run all over the mountain, so there's always hot water for bathing, showering, steaming or just soaking. Drass love their hot springs and they love to soak, and while a room like this isn't uncommon on Anun it's definitely something Fang sees as nothing short of miraculous.

And of course, since Valen is a Dragon Prince there is always a bevy of maids and cleaners who sneak in and tidy up, so no matter what kind of wild honeymoon nonsense Fang and Valen get up to, his desk is always clean and the sheets are always freshly laundered. There are stacks of fluffy towels in the bathroom, Fang's dressing table is always neat, and Valen's socks are always folded and put away. Valen likes to keep a few sandwiches in his hearth-room and some drinks handy, so even though the lifestyle is alien to Fang it's amazingly convenient and not difficult to get used to.

I hope this was detailed enough - I can't draw to save my life anymore, so I've had to make do with words.

[suuho]

Thoughts on all 13 svt members?

here we go, live and in color!! (rest under read more)

scoups - seungcheol is a very good leader, very musical and once you know him for longer than 3 seconds, you can immediately tell that he's a leo. his penchant for fancy brands will not spare him in the class war but other than that, he's a delight. i love him.

jeonghan - his energy is "an ancient demon has possessed this mortal body" and now he's running wild with it. if the picture of dorian gray was a human, but lovelier. a fellow frail paper man.

joshua - token straight bait of the group. he's so funny, my little valley boy. he sounds like elle woods. a versatile vocalist who should be allowed to show more of his colors, 2 minus 1 was crazy good for him. the whole catholic thing is eh to me but ya know.

jun - he isn't one of the members i pay that much attention to but i vibe with him on the mere basis that he's a fellow june gemini alone. truly just a funky dude.

hoshi - he almost annoys me which is an incredible characteristic, because that's just gemini on gemini violence. an incredibly gifted dancer and soloist, who has a definite idea of his personality as an artist. one of the best variety members in the group.

wonwoo - i am in love with him. i love that he has absolutely nothing going on for him, like you cannot get any more cripplingly introverted than him and hansol. he is actually a very decent rapper and his visuals are to die for. a man that got it all (except a variety personality).

woozi - i cannot be normal about this, i literally love this man to death. like, he is literally in my ult line. he's my favorite seventeen member, he's a crazily talented vocalist, musician and producer and seventeen would be nothing without him, he is the foundation and backbone of this group. jihoon is insanely gifted and i just know he has perfect pitch, which. go figure, man. a little mean which makes me adore him five hundred times more. people tell me a lot that i'm very much like him.

dk - this man can sing like it's no one's fucking business. seventeen's main vocals are one of the most talented in the whole industry, and as far as groups signed by hybe, seventeen is the most vocally talented by far. easily. he's super approachable and i know many people adore him.

mingyu - bane of my existence. if i could fistfight any man in a parking lot, it would be him. bare knuckled. he has a very lovely singing voice and jihoon is the no. 1 person to get that out of him.

minghao - another member that is obscenely talented and i prefer him over hoshi as a dancer. minghao is one of the members with the biggest soloist potential because everything he touches turns into divine art. he's a full-blooded scorpio. who else would read books about ghosts but like, serious.

seungkwan - THE idol. seungkwan is literally a variety god. no one in this group is better suited to be an idol and in five years from now, he will have a baeksang. i see a lot of kibum in him which is a compliment of the highest order, considering kibum has been my ult of ults for more than 10 years now. i worship at seungkwan's feet. the best vocalist in seventeen, the man who will have a very definite future in the entertainment industry. there's not one idol in his gen that can do what he does with such ease. he is probably my bias wrecker in the group.

hansol - another bias of mine. i adore him, partly because we're the same age and partly because he is another one of the incomprehensibly talented members of this group. he's such a cool guy with an incredible taste in culture and music. another introvert that is so dear to my heart. his visuals are beyond.

dino - they don't call him the future of kpop for nothing!!! he is sooo talented and incredibly funny. seungcheol and his dynamic is one of my faves in the whole group. you can tell he was raised by hoshi and the performance unit at large. i feel like he hasn't made up his mind yet in which direction he'd wanna venture as a solo artist.

[deathandmushrooms]

It's been raining for forever and will rain for the foreseeable future. Great for future-mushroomer me, but it's driving present-me batty. So, here's...

Some non-exhaustive-but-potentially-exhausting maybe-helpful mushroom-foraging guidelines for the curious-but-anxious beginner...

We can assure our readers, whom we wish to preserve, that there are only two facts to bear in mind when selecting fungi:

ALL FUNGI ARE EDIBLE.

SOME FUNGI ARE NOT EDIBLE MORE THAN ONCE.

- Discworld Almanak by Terry Pratchett

Below, you'll find:

Finding and Identifying mushrooms

Foraging mushrooms

Eating mushrooms

Finding and Identifying Mushrooms

Don't eat anything unless you're so confident with it you would feed it to you favorite writer currently working on the dramatic final installment of whatever you're most excited about. Ask yourself: would I feed this to renowned author and local Tumblr treasure @neil-gaiman? No? Then spit it out, Jeremy.

Mushrooms aren't scary. The more knowledgeable you become, and the humbler you remain, the more confident you'll be. Find people who know mushrooms, and preferably not just on The Internet. Get a guidebook or 3 (ideally local) and learn relevant terminology and identifying features (e.g. different kinds of pore surface: gills, tubes, etc). Find a lot of mushrooms and take them home to ID.

But before you do, take many pics in situ if you can. Environment and ecology can be key to a positive ID. Harvesting mushrooms you don't plan on eating is a great way to practice learning relevant terminology and building up a sommelier-esque mushroom vocabulary. "Ah yes, this coral fungus smells woody, with hints of moss....and a soupçon of string cheese."

Research, forage, and cook with intention. When hunting for a mushroom, learn all its look-alikes, especially toxic ones. Don't just note what the mushroom looks like, but where it's growing, how it's growing, amongst whom it's growing, whom it has beef with. Is it growing saprotrophically off a dead log (I.e. Breaking down dead material)? That's probably not a chanterelle, but it might be a jack-o-lantern and supposedly they're slightly bioluminescent so you should probably take it home, bring it to some dark corner, see if the gills really glow and then not eat it regardless.

Mushroom identifying apps are a good way to get some ID possibilities to research more thoroughly, but do not rely on them alone.

Set yourself up for success by starting off with mushrooms with no toxic look-alikes, or those with a few key features that clearly distinguish them from their toxic look-alike (morels, chicken or the woods, lion's mane, etc). Research mushrooms in your area, pick a few (seasonally appropriate) varieties to keep an eye out for. The fewer varieties you focus on, the less likely you are to get your wires crossed. And...

... learn their ecology and save yourself a lot of heartache looking for mushrooms in places they could never grow. Do they grow mycorrhizally with a certain type of tree? That is, do they form a symbiotic relationship with certain trees? Or do they grow saprotrophically, breaking down dead wood. Do they prefer certain environments? For example, I started off with black trumpets. They have no toxic look-alikes, and they are usually growing mycorrhizally with oak in mossy areas. I look at my feet for moss and acorns and then I know my chances are fair, weather permitting.

Foraging mushrooms

Get a knife, maybe a brush, and a breathable container (e.g. Basket, canvas tote) where your mushrooms won't get crushed. It's amazing how fast a plastic bag can speed up rotting. Also...maybe look up local knife laws.

Clean as much as you can in the field. Trim off the dirtiest part of the stem, check for debris.

Before you're confident with field identification, store different species and mushrooms from different patches in different containers. I take a canvas backpack with me with paper lunchbags that I label with a number. When I take pictures of the mushroom and it's environment, I also take a picture of the bag I'm putting them in. Because I am anal.

Just because a mushroom is a member of an edible species, doesn't mean that particular mushroom is good for eating. Mushrooms can get infested with bugs, or mold, or succumb to the ravages of time that come for us all. Give it a sniff, and if it smells off, it is. Check for bugs; especially with boletes. Scrape away the tubes to check (but only after you've gotten a confident ID; after you do this you can't take a spore print). For example, here are some pictures of some black trumpets which are choice edibles.

The ones on the left are good, but the ones on the right are no good. With black trumpets, I'll smell a bad one before I even see it. It's important to learn how a mushroom's appearance changes over its life cycle, or how weather conditions might change the appearance.

The "real" organism, so to speak, is the mycelium. The mushrooms are the fruiting bodies. So, make note of nice patches of your favorites. Depending on the type of mushrooms, it might fruit several times over a season. I take a screen cap of where I am on Google maps and save it alongside pictures of the mushrooms and selfies of me doing my excited mushroom face. Some mushrooms, like chanterelles, are slow growers. But others might only need a few days after a good rain to pop up.

Eating mushrooms

Don't eat multiple foraged mushrooms in one meal. Wait 1-2 days between varieties. Poison Control has a hard enough job as it is without you complicating things unnecessarily.

Thoroughly cook all mushrooms. Safety aside, that's just good culinary sense. Gotta caramelize those natural sugars, dontcha know. Maillard reaction and all that.

Even if a mushroom isn't "toxic," you might learn something new and upsetting about yourself when you eat it, like an obscure food sensitivity you inherited from that ancestor you never knew you had but now get to secretly resent. So, when eating a new mushroom COOK AND EAT A SMALL PIECE AND WAIT 24 HOURS. Wait for what? Hopefully nothing. But if you start getting stomach cramps, itching in weird places, or visual hallucinations, you may want to toss those mushrooms back into the wild. TBF to mushrooms, this is true of all food. I've yet to experience this with mushrooms, but I have had this experience with fruit! Did that stop me from eating fruit? No: my survival instincts aren't great. My ancestors were very lucky.

Different mushrooms can be stored different ways for the long term: drying, freezing, etc. But in the short term, a paper bag in the fridge is ideal.

When in doubt, butter or olive oil and a little sea salt. Also, cream and thyme are lovely with most mushrooms. Very thin mushrooms (e.g. Craterellus) barely need any time on the heat at all before they're done or past done, i.e. shrivelled up into a small non descript mass in the pan with all the texture of sad dirt jam.

Or just fry them in pancetta. You do you.

Most importantly: do your own research and a lot of it.

Foraging for mushrooms is hugely rewarding, and learning is a process: in this case, a very enjoyable one.

I mean... unless you poison yourself.

But still,

[laughriot]

How I Envision The Pillowman Act 1, Scene 1

Lighting

When researching interrogation rooms and the interior of police stations (both in media and in real life), many of the images I found show them lit by very cool toned (often blue) light. In media particularly, the main light of the room is often dim, which makes the atmosphere more uncomfortable for the suspect. For example;

Additionally, during interrogation scenes throughout media, it’s very common for the person being questioned to have a light/lamp of some sort pointed directly at them. For example;

These lights are used to make those detained uncomfortable and thus more likely to spill the information they know in order to get the bright light out of their eyes.

This technique seemed like something Detectives Ariel and Tupolski would likely use. They have no issues with physically assaulting/torturing prisoners to get what they want out of them so I believe these lower level discomforts wouldn't be uncommon in their interrogation techniques.

I think the best ways to include this in a production would be by putting a lamp on stage , or by having a white/cool toned spotlight on Katurian's face.

Set

Interrogation rooms are often very bare, usually having no more than a table and chairs inside. I think this is partly for convenience and practicality, but also to make the person being questions uncomfortable in their surroundings as the rooms are very sterile and contain nothing that could have comfortable connotations for the detained. even the furniture which is used in these rooms is very bland and often made of plain wood or steel. this creates tension as there is nothing (such a pillows, warm lamps etc)that can be used to ground or comfort the person being questioned.

I have also noticed that these rooms are often painted cool toned colours such as blue and grey. I believe this is because warm colours have connotations of cosiness, warmth, and comfort - which is the opposite of what detective are often aiming to communicate.

There’s also often viewing windows looking into the rooms (as seen in the picture above). However, I do not think that there would be any of these in the station which Ariel and Tupolski work in. This is because in this play, the police are often extremely violent and treat detainees inhumanly. Thus, they would not want there to be witnesses of this happening because that could cause problems. As long as no one catches them doing it, they are guaranteed to get away with it. (That being said, The Pillowman is set in a fascist totalitarian state so i'm not sure someone seeing it would ake a difference)

With this in mind, i sketched a rough outline of what i believe would be a good set for this scene.

Costume, Hair and Makeup

(imagined for an all female cast)

Ariel

Ariel is very passionate about their job. This often leads to or is expressed through violence and brutality. They are treated as less than Tupolski, as if they exists solely to do the dirty work. Despite having the title of "detective" Tuplski regularly calls them a policeman, and compares them to a police dog. Their main focus is to make sure people who commit crimes suffer for it and guaranteeing they do not get the chance to commit those crimes again. This stems from the lack of justice they got in terms of their childhood abuse. Because of their motives, I believe they are not concerned about vanity, and the way they dress/present themselves is mostly based on practicality.

below are images of a costume i think fits Ariel, as well as how they would do their hair/makeup.

(i don’t own black laces but let’s pretend they’re black)

I paired together a blue short sleeve shirt and black trousers as blue and black are the main colours associated with the police (especially in media). This represents that they are seen as less than tupolski. I chose short sleeves as they are less formal than long sleeves, which I think fits Ariel's character, and they would allow Ariel to attack suspects without ruining their clothes as most of the harm they do is with their fists.

I think Ariel would either have short hair, or would keep their hair tied back at all times because even if it aesthetically would look better down, it would get in the way whilst they were working.

I don't think Ariel would wear makeup. They wouldn’t waste their time on it. However, I think it would be interesting to use makeup unless to give them dark circles to make reference to their monologue in which they say they have nightmares often.

Tupolski

Tupolski acts likes they’re above Ariel, and are much more of a “professional” and sophisticated. This later on is shown to not actually be true as they are the one who in the end performs the execution, and they seem to draw the most genuine pleasure in hurting other people. To me, Tupolski is in this job very much because of the power it provides them rather than a drive to do good or to find justice. This is a direct example of the blatant police brutality and corruption of the totalitarian state the play is set in.

I believe that Tupolski would dress much more put together and polished in order to appear as someone professional and communicate their position of power. below are pictures of a costume I think would work for Tupolski.

I looked into business attire, and clothes worn by women in power. I found that plaid, especially grey based plaid, is very common in this type of clothing. I also found that blazers/coats with lapels were very common too. for this reason I decided to give Tupolski this full length coat as part of their costume. I gave Tupolski heels here because I believe the extra height they give will communicate that they are of a higher status than Ariel, but also because heels are generally seen as a work/business shoe.

As for makeup; I looked at a variety of detectives and professional women across media (e.g. Rachel from suits, Nikki from silent witness) and found that their makeup is usually quite natural, using a lot of neutral tones to enhance the persons features subtlety so as to make them look more polished.

in the image above I used very natural colours to create a soft eyeshadow look and sole subtle bronzer, blush and highlighter to emphasise the structure of my face and give my cheeks a healthy glow. To me this would work well for Tupolski as they are a very nonchalant person so I don’t think they’d want to look as if they’d tried hard to look good, but this makeup would make them appear more professional and put together than Ariel which is something they take great joy in pointing out.

Katurian

Immediately when looking into styles for Katurian, I was drawn to dark academia. In its barest bones the dark academia style revolves around 1930s academia and a love for literature. (and often murder). This style is heavily featured in films such as “Kill Your Darlings” and “Dead Poets Society”.

Katurian is a man who’s life and identity revolves so wholly around his writing and his love for words, and whether he likes it or not there ends up being multiple murders linked to him and his work. Thus, this style seemed perfect to base his costume on.

(ideally i would have put a cream/white blouse under the jumper but i don’t own one)

In this image I’m wearing cigarette pants, which are a very common style of trouser within dark academia. I think the wine red/burgundy of my jumper and shoes fits well to the colour scheme of this style, too. I think making Katurian's costume in this style gives away a lot about their character from the get go, as it’s a style with very distinct connotations.

As well as thinking that this style generally suits Katurian's character very well, I think this works as a costume for them as it is more casual that both Ariel and Tupolski's still. This helps enforce the idea that they both have a higher status than him.

I see Katurian as very scrawny and almost gaunt. They also strike me as someone who spends most of the time in which they should be sleeping or eating, writing instead. They also seem to be a very paranoid person. I based my makeup for this character on these ideas and, where for Tupolski and Ariel makeup was an aesthetic choice (or lack thereof), Katurian's makeup is used to really make them look pathetic and small as I think this will help this scene have maximum affect.

I used heavy amounts of contour to really emphasise the hollows of the cheekbones to make myself look gaunt. I also applied a mix of brown and purple shadow under my eyes to create the appearance of really severe dark circles. this adds to the weak and sickly look when paired with the contour but also suggests he does not get a lot of sleep, which will make more sense later on in the play when we see how paranoid he is.

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link to pinterest board where i’ve collected some inspiration pictures etc; https://pin.it/1tfoS0s

[brutal-nemesis]

Hey can you share rock facts with me? I love rocks but don't know anything about them!

hELLO you have opened the floodgates! The rockslide gates? Prepare to see the sexy rocks that I have with me at school (the majority of my collection is at home sadly) and hear various facts about each of them! And I’m always willing to give facts about specific things but idk what you want to know more about. So here we go!

First up is Labradorite!

Now you may be thinking, Nemi, that is a boring ass rock, but to that I say, tilt it a little, and:

BOOM SEXY SHINY COLORS I love her so much. Labradorite is an igneous mineral on the albite-anorthite series which is a group of feldspar minerals with a range of compositions from high Na on one end to high Ca on the other. Labradorite’s specific ratio of Ca:Na and slow cooling process is what creates this shimmery effect :)

This is gonna be a long post so: (also possible trypophobia triggers below the cut)

Next: fluorite

Look at those bands!! Fluorite comes in a huge variety of colors, which can make it hard to identify if you’re not familiar with its crystal structure, which is typically cubic as its part of the isometric system. It actually never grows in the shape I have it here, this piece was cut to look this way.

The next one is a combination of a fossil and a mineral

This is an opalized ammonite! Those rainbow flashes are from the opal that replaced the CaCO3 these guys normally build their shells out of. When fossils are exposed to hot fluids full of dissolved ions, parts of them can react and be replaced with different minerals. This is similar to what happens with petrified wood, except there the silica fills the pores between the cells instead of replacing the wood itself. The detail on this one is great as you can see those tree-lookin squigglies, which are called suture marks. They divide the chambers of the ammonite’s shell and their pattern is what tells me it’s an ammonite, as nautiloids have simpler suture patterns

Now for my favorite mineral, malachite!

This picture Shot On My iPhone 8™ doesn’t do this guy justice. I love the patterns it has, the different shades of green~ It’s a copper carbonate mineral, so it and its close relative azurite form when native (pure) copper comes in to contact with air. 

Time for the tastiest mineral, halite

Halite is just straight-up salt. When geologists are identifying halite, we lick it and let me tell you, it is VERY salty. Which makes sense because it really is just salt. I’ve been told bacteria can’t live on its surface since it’s just NaCl, but my fear is that my aging prof just lied to us to make us lick it. It’s an evaporite that forms when water dries up. This piece is a lamp and I lick it sometimes when I’m feeling frisky~

Aight we’re moving from just minerals to rocks

This is a piece of vesicular basalt I got on Mt. Rangitoto in New Zealand. Basalt is lava that cooled on the surface with a low silica content. Those holes in it are called “vesicles” and form when gas bubbles are trapped in cooling molten rock. Sometimes, a hydrothermal fluid can filter through them and deposit minerals, turning the vesicles into amygdules. See those little green spots? Those are crystals of a mineral called olivine, which I’ll get into with our last rock.

The big boy!! (ft. Ellis the wooden snake)

This is a chunk of basalt as well, and those big green spots are chunks of olivine crystals. It’s a mineral that’s high in Mg and Fe (the ratio varies) and it’s what our mantle is made of! Those chunks actually CAME FROM THE MANTLE!! They fell into the melted rock and were carried up when the magma erupted, coming to the surface and eventually me! When a chunk of rock falls into a melt and the melt hardens around it, that’s called a xenolith. So this is a basalt with mantle xenoliths. I bought it when my geology class went to Arizona and I have never regretted it

Ah so that’s all for my children thank you so much for the ask!!!ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ Feel free to hit me up if you ever want to talk rocks!!!

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, what lightning based creature from folklore and mythology might you interpret Josh being spliced with? Same with Corey, because "chameleon" don't cut it lol

Ugh, so many.

Corey:

My first thought would be any of the practically endless variety of household spirits and fairies attributed with invisibility - most of them usually denoted as being mischief makers, not inherently good or evil but more aligned to like a chaotic-neutral kinda thing than any particular morality.

These include, but are not limited to, various kinds of goblin-esque creatures that aren’t necessarily what one would picture when thinking of goblins in terms of like, Lord of the Rings. But brownies, hobgoblins and trow from various Celtic regions of Europe, or something like the duende from Iberian folklore perhaps, some takes on the domovoi from Russian legends, or maybe French lutins though they’re a bit more malevolent in nature than most of these others....but any of those could easily acount for the invisibility/camouflage Corey’s capable of, and there’s a lot of them that like, being part of Corey’s ‘nature’ could pair well with the fact that he’s small and unobtrusive in appearance, as well as being a shy, insecure kid not above expressing (justified) resentment or letting that dictate his actions or behavior towards people.

A boggart could also be interesting because there are as many takes on the boggart being a physical flesh and blood shapeshifter or fairy as there are it being a kind of spirit, and invisibility is as much a part of its nature as taking on the appearance of something someone fears....and there’s a lot of potential IMO in the almost irony of making Corey of all characters be part ‘boogeyman’ - since the boggart is the basis of boogeyman legends.

A sylph could be interesting, but it would have to be a Teen Wolf take on the actual sylphs of legend, like putting its own spin on it like it does with a lot of the other supernatural creatures that show up. Because as is, a sylph is one of the four elemental types of beings along with salamanders, undines and gnomes, and so its literally just a creature of air - but invisible and spritely, etc. So a Teen Wolf version of a sylph that’s flesh and blood at least some of the time and even CAN be ‘spliced’ into the chimera genome in some way....like, you’d definitely have to tweak your version to make it work, but it could work. And sylph fits a lot about Corey as a character, and it opens up doors for him to have powers beyond just invisibility, such as maybe giving him a kind of telekinesis or even the ability to levitate.

There’s a couple of Finnish beings of legends that could fit the bill, like keiju (kinda a Finnish version of pixies or sprites) or even tonttu, which are like a kind of....proto-Christmas elf, almost? LOL. But again, both are attributed with invisibility and discretion, though the keiju tend to be less concerned with human affairs while the tonttu are normally seen as helpful beings and friendly to humanity.

A bodach could be interesting too, they’re Scottish tricksters, usually more malevolent than neutral but not necessarily. Again, normally invisible, often follow people and frightening them with the sound of footsteps while there’s not even footprints in sight.....BUT the thing that’s interesting about this at least in terms of Teen Wolf, is there are various kinds of bodach like the Bodach Glas, the Dark Grey Man, who are also perceived as death omens. Like they’re normally invisible, and the only time you see one is if you’re going to die, and so given the other death-omen related beings in TW like banshees and hellhounds, Corey actually being part Bodach could have some interesting implications or associations....like, maybe if it turns out that he can turn invisible whenever he wants, but occasionally he realizes someone sees him even when he doesn’t want them to....but when that happens, that’s actually just because or a sign that the person is destined to die soon. Especially given the way Corey was used in 6A during the Wild Hunt storyline, like....you could definitely tie that into things there or go in similar directions with that.

Tbh though, I’m most intrigued I think by the idea of what if Corey was part....leshy, or one of the various analogues to the leshy in different regions like the borovoi in Russia or the Lithuanian mishkinis. But the leshy, and other related beings are like....a nature spirit, albeit a physical being rather than like a true spirit-spirit. But they’re usually nature GUARDIANS, specifically, and most associated with woods and forests. There’s also a fun kind of irony because one of the attributes of the leshy, aside from its invisibility or ability to disguise itself among the trees by blending in with its backgrounds, is like....the leshy is a size changer as well, and typically defaults as an enormous being, as tall as a tree....but who can also shrink to the size of a blade of grass. Given that Corey’s on the small size, this kinda amuses me, but also could make for a fun twist if he eventually realizes his powers don’t let him just turn invisible or fade into the background, but like, he can change his size and height as well. Make him like an Ant-Man kinda character.

But another thing that’s particular interesting about the leshy, and makes me lean towards it, is that the leshy isn’t just a generic forest spirit or guardian, but is associated with hunting in specific. But not in the human kind of way, but the hunters of nature.....as in, the leshy is often surrounded by or depicted as always being in the company of...packs of wolves. Occasionally bears, too, but they’re most associated with wolves. Which makes making Corey part leshy and part of a wolf pack particularly fitting, I think. And also sets up some interesting conflicts with hunters like Argent, even if Corey doesn’t even KNOW why he’s so antagonistic towards them, but like, as part leshy, he would likely be prone to very Not Good vibes about human hunters. Which also creates some interesting implications about the WHY of the Dread Doctors of all beings choosing to make a chimera that was part leshy aka anti-hunter....given that the lead Dread Doctor, Marcel, pretty much did everything he did because he was super obviously in love with Sebastian aka the Beast, the prime target and enemy of hunters everywhere, and the whole reason the Argent dynasty began in the first place.

Josh:

I’d need to give some more thought to him. I have seen people headcanon that Josh was spliced with some kind of raiju, which is a creature from Japanese legends typically associated with various gods of thunder. The raiju is a kind of thunder-beast, and usually takes the form or appearance of a blue-white wolf shaped from lightning, though it can also take other forms like that of a weasel, a badger or even a dragon.

I mean, this one definitely does work, its just I’m kinda like.....eh, just because TW has fucked around with and fucked over Japanese legends enough on the show without putting any real effort into prioritizing or centering them or the characters associated with them....aka all our rants about Kira and the nameless/barely-a-character nogitsune. I suspect my resistance to having Josh be part raiju is less that like, it doesn’t fit or make sense than it is mostly just.....I don’t trust the execution of most of the people I’ve seen do the headcanoning him as such, lol, so I’m knee-jerk inclined to just run the opposite direction with it, lol. Also, along similar lines, just NO times infinity to having him be in any way part thunderbird because Leave Native American legends alone Teen Wolf, You’ve Done Enough.

There are a number of other kinds of lightning birds though, from regions all around the world, like Slavic mythology and folklore has a couple, particularly associated with Perun, there’s a few in South American regions, Zulu folklore has a lightning bird called the impundulu....but even just going back to Eastern Europe with this, in the sense that since so many of the other creatures TW focused on originate there and that’s where the DD are from, its not a stretch to imagine beings or creatures from that region being particularly central to a lot of their experiments....like, for instance in terms of that reasoning, my personal preference would be to go with one of the various takes on the shtriga or strigoi that associate them with lightning (mostly ball lightning) that could work and be something a bit different. 

Because the strigoi are basically the basis for Stoker’s take on vampires in particular, so instead of being specifically derived from some kind of lightning-specific creature or being like the raiju, making Josh part strigoi would mean his electricity powers were really only incidental to his chimera nature rather than the focus of it, and since the Teen Wolf chimeras are all one third human, one third werewolf, and one third something else....Josh being a strigoi chimera would effectively make him TW’s version of a vampire-werewolf hybrid.

(Also, like with the leshy, the strigoi makes a certain kind of sense to be spliced with werewolves or associated with a wolf pack, because the strigoi is pretty much definitively THE version of a vampire that having vampires have strong connections to and imagery associated with wolves, or vampires being able to shapeshift into wolves specifically.....like the strigoi are where those legends and takes in particular all stem from).

And I mean, Josh as part strigoi definitely puts his teeth when he’s in his shifted form in a totally different light, lolol.

[orionnquartzwater]

In a local witches group on my personal FB page, an admin I look up to asked us what our current altars looked like at the moment to spark up a discussion. I had an offhand picture of recently showing and explaining my faith to a friend of mine, but as I began to reflect on the items, my reply grew longer and longer until Facebook just gave up on allowing me to post it. Still wanting to share, I figured I would host my answer here.

This is my current set-up. Please excuse some of the mess, I'm currently in the process of clearing out the old for the new calender year. I don't work at my altar very often at the moment as life has been a little hectic, but it's right above my fireplace in my living room! ♡

PHOTO DESCRIPTION WITH DETAILS AND PERSONAL HISTORIES BEHIND THE OBJECTS PICTURED: On white shelf above the fireplace in my living room is my altar, lit by a ceiling light that brings the eye to the center of the image where a wall-hanging of the elemental symbols I hand-crafted in branches and black twine covers a large portion of the white wall in the back. In the middle on the top of the hanging decor is a clear hand-crafted witch ball I made several years back when my coven was still meeting and I was teaching some of the history behind them and what they are today filled with many different herbs and a large cinnamon stick. Several natural pieces of twine hang from some of the twigs that make up the elemental symbols, used for tying and drying herb bunches above my altar, currently sitting empty. On both sides framing the mantle on the wall, there two metallic swirling candle holders, one of which has a recently gifted antique bell from my once-ignorant and oppressive grandmother about what my faith truly had meant to me on twine hanging from it. In the dead center of the altar, a large glass candle holder sits containing a layered orange and red candle, burned most of the way down with ash on the insise of the glass as it hasn't been in use for some time. Currently displayed on top of the candle is my own hand-crafted wand that sits perfectly balanced in my hand with the natural curve of the branch. It felt made for my hand as I whittled the top down and used copper and quartz to charge it, wrapping the handle and charging the energy forward with the small point I've had for years until I found why I had clung to it.

Two alabaster statuette busts of the Greek deities Artemis (to the left), and Apollo (to the right) also frame the large glass candleholder. The statues are of the deities who I worked faithfully worked with to recieve my service dog Andromeda, and thank constantly trying to honor, as everything in my life had said I couldn't receive her from time to money to circumstance to lack of outside help, even though everything else about it was said that it was truly meant for me, and I believe to this day it was due to them watching me working tirelessly to do everything on my end including my rituals and asking for their assistance that they granted me a medically healing (Apollo's side) & faithful canine (Artemis's side). I had the statues shipped to me from Greece, and the golden accents on the alabaster textiles and laurel on them are probably my favorite part of them. They're one of my most prized possessions. The two godly siblings face each other with their heads cast in different directions. Behind Artemis, slightly to her right is a black and white painting I did of the forested coast and night sky with a prominent moon bouncing off the waves and a comet in the stars above (Ironically, my dog Andromeda (Andi) was listed as Comit in the breeders list as well, something I hadn't even considered when painting and adding it to my altar). To Artemis' left is a small antler chew we took from my service dog when she was too big to use it safely any longer, as well as a small clay torso of the human form I crafted some time ago. In front of the mini painting is where I currently sit a chakra bracelet gifted to me years ago, and sitting in front of those not too far from the edge is an incense holder depicting a skeleton with roses around it as a memento mori, a circle of life as the ash falls and the incense is burned. To the left of that are some pieces of geodes and petrified woods I have that my grandmother also gifted me, two unused candles in front of those, and a petrified wood piece laying flat that holds two tiny pinecones connected by a stem and two coins for abundance beside a ceramic acorn bowl holding many gemstones collected through the years, including the labradorite my grandmother also gifted me when I was a small child and found myself connecting to the stone as I connected to the faith alone on my own. To the left of that is a tall decorative triple goddess wooden box box my dad's girlfriend bought for me, a small black and white moon phase & elemental symbol zentangle art piece sitting above it that I drew in pen in high school, and in front of them on the altar is an antique taxidermied dog-paw letter opener made of Mother of Pearl, dating the beloved Print's death as Sept 15th, 1867 that I use for directing energy, connecting to the love we hold for those in our lives, and also with connecting to the centuries past in my own hands.

To Apollo's right sits a massive pinecone, and behind him somewhat obscured is a small wax burner currently holding the remnants of the ritual work I had been using to call forth my service dog to me as a variety of herbs, green wax for abundance and coins. To the right of that are a variety of candles, currently perching a bird's nest that had fallen out of and was sitting abandoned from the tree in front of my apartments two years ago that would have been tossed by maintainence or mowed over but found a renewed life in my practice after it sat abandoned for some time. Beside that is a squared lantern of black metal framinh with frosted glass and metallic fir tree silhouettes. Also the right of that, leaning over the edge of the mantle from a small end table not pictured is a twig broom with the bristles up. (On the very edge of the mantle also sits a large bottle of hand-sanitizer constantly in use as I live with a hospital worker, and both cleanliness and healthcare are just as important in our faith, lest we forget to take care of ourselves with the modern knowledge passed down to us now, nor forget to do our part wherever we go.)

— I haven't had the mind to do much traditional work, even here, and this doesn't include the dresser I plan on doing a fuller altar for so I can have a place to be alone, in my space, and wholly enter the circle once more as I haven't been able to do that in a very, very long time, but this one houses most of my items of power, is displayed prominently, and is curated to allow me to remember to honor my faith more and never stop working on it, taking time to stand in front of it and reflect on me, my faith, where I came from and where I'm going as well as spending a moment with the deities I honor. After my birthday later this year growing up in a household of agnostics and the faith and discomfort of my oppressive grandparents, I'll actually have been in the faith for more than half my life as I was only 11 when I stumbled into it alone, celebrated my first Imbolc all by myself by making crafts out of ribbons and buying and lighting candles, meditating reading books. I ran around with my bell wand shaking it at nature to reawaken it for spring, and I knew I would always be in the faith, and want to raise a future family in it, and grow a community of like-minded folks. I'm still always learning, and it makes me equally immensely proud and insanely humbled when I can teach others what I've learned since the faith found me. I can actually remember crying to my grandma about whether or not magic(k) could truly exist in the world and she told me if I believed in it, it DID at that age, and the feelings of finding power in my faith after growing up so alone have been unlike any other. Finding other witches was one of the most impactful moments of my life, especially growing up in a heavily Christian town of just over 1,000. Nothing has made me ever feel more fulfilled than people who know me and know I have been in the faith since childhood coming up to me to timidly ask them to teach them some things and where they could start to learn more, asking questions and finding me with a million resources for them, only to come back at a later date and truly thank me for helping them find their path to deity, to nature, to being one with the energies around us and finding power in their experiences and newfound budding faith and community. I've since found a true passion for anthropology and folklore, and I never feel more whole than working with others who share that with me. I think that my coven was one of the best things I experienced in high school, a mix of young witches learning and finding our paths and bringing our passions to life with each other and what we knew over good food, good friends and good faith wasn't something I got to experience often until then.

I'm still hoping to one day build an establishment where witches and aspiring witches can come, talk, read, ask for recommendations, be taught by local witches, take community crafting classes with history lessons, and be able to continue to provide that feeling to other folks. One of the people I ended up mentoring after they were asking me questions and for book recommendations, for clarifications and good conversation, also reaffirmed my childhood last name of faith that came to me by expressing their gratitude of my mentorship referring to me as "a willow tree I was providing wisdom, knowledge and needed shade to the growing saplings around them," and I actually broke down crying as Willow was the last name I ended up with as child, and Willowtree was the last name I had settled on after my transition. I hate the feeling of buying myself mass-produced items used for making a quick buck off a community rather than fostering the Craft, and the power that's within our tools created by hand or when they're gifted by people who impacted us with the knowledge of what they mean and the things they hold are just so much different than not knowing the ethical conditions of who made the materials, or the companies behind them pandering for money, and it's a bit of a passion project as my physical health keeps me from being able to work much on my own. I often wish I could go back and tell a young me how much I would learn and do, how many amazing people I would meet, and communities I would find, even in the areas directly around me. I think I would have been amazed. After writing all of this, I looked back and realized that my current set-up is actually doing it's EXACT job right now. As I described the objects and what they meant to me when I got them, I got caught up in it the same way I do IRL when I pass by and take a moment to think about what my faith holds for me, where I'm coming from and where I really want to take things from here. I guess it's REALLY just that effective on me that even trying to answer a question about it off-hand in a post really ends up in me really taking a minute to address who I am and the power it all holds to me, especially standing where I stand today.

Blessed Be! I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

— 12.9.2020

[squishies]

Do you have any recommendations on plants for my betta tank? I need to get some but I don’t know what to get

Hello!

So aquarium plants can be a tricky thing especially if you’re just learning about them. Like for example, you have hi-tech tanks with CO2 and low-tech tanks with nothing but a hood light and some fertilizer (I have a low tech plant so that’s what imma focus on)

Some easy and hardy aquarium plants that are very hard to kill unless you never turn on your aquarium light which I highly recommend you do for at least 7 hours a day:

>Moss balls! You can never go wrong with a nice moss ball. Don't��get them from petco or petsmart because they sell them like one ball for $8 when you can get like 5 for $8 on amazon/ebay/aquabid. Just stick them in the refrigerator every once and a while :)

>Java fern, they’re quite hardy and like warm water and can withstand a lot of stuff. They have a rhizome so make sure not to bury it in the sand (you can bury the roots but not the rhizome) or else it will rot. You can either use an aquarium safe glue or some thread/fishing wire to secure the plant to a nice rock or wood in the tank

>Java moss, its cool and green. Shrimps love this stuff lemme just tell you. You can leave it floating in a big ball of green or secure it to something in the tank kind of like the java fern

>Anacharis is literally my favorite plant. I just leave it floating in my tank and it makes my tank look like some unkept forest which is exactly the vibe I was going for. They are stem plants that like not too hot water (nothing over 78) and can either be buried or left floating but I feel they like floating more because they're closer to the light source. These suckers also suck up ammonia. Jellybean sometimes gets stuck between the stems but its okay 

>Anubias are some funky plants because they come in a lot of different varieties. I have a long and skinny stemmed one and a fatter leafed one (Anubias Africa) in my tank. Jellybean likes to hide behind the Anubias Africa

>Amazon swords are pretty cool and I like them very much. So far all the other plants I mentioned above get their nutrients from the water column and not the substrate. If you want amazon swords I recommend you get a substrate with fertilizer. I have seachem flourite. If you see they’re not doing too good stick a root tab in the sand near their roots and they’ll thank you 

For fertilizers, I don’t go too crazy and I just dose the tank with one or two capfuls of seachem flourish every week after a water change. I also got most of my plants online, except for the amazon swords and anubias which I got from petco. I do not really recommend you to get plants from either petco or petsmart unless they look very healthy. The best bet for good and healthy aquarium plants is at your lfs really. 

Some other nice posts about aquarium plant care that might help are:

Getting the most out of aquarium plantsPlants melt and that’s okayBig list of aquarium plantsList of low-light aquarium plantsPlanted Tanks for Beginners and So Can YouComprehensive Planted Tank Guide

Good luck and please tag me in any pictures of your tank if you decide to go planted! Another nice and easier alternitive to planted tanks is a silk plants :)

[morbidsmenagerie]

Porcellio Scaber/Laevis Care Sheet

Porcellio laevis - Dairy Cow on the left and Porcellio scaber on the right.

Description

I am including both of these species together on the same care sheet because in almost all regards, they are essentially the same. Both species are forgiving with temperatures and humidities, come in a variety of morphs, breed extremely quickly, and love protien. They are also both surface active. For these reasons, both of these species make excellent starter isopods.

Differences

Despite the many similarities, there are a few differances which can be useful in telling the two species apart. Porcellio laevis tends to be a bit larger than scabers, and are in fact one of the largest species you can get for the relatively cheap price. Scabers are only slightly smaller on average though, and this isn't distinct enough to be useful in id. The most obvious difference is texture. Laevis are commonly called "Smooth isopods", and scabers "Rough Isopods". In the pictures above you can see why, the scabers have a lot of tiny bumps on their carapaces that give them a more textured look, while the laevis looks perfectly smooth. Scabers also have what I call a "shark fin outline", which can be kind of hard to explain, but their outline has a distinct serration I've only seen in this species. The laevis have a much smoother outline.

"Shark tooth outline" on P. scaber

Enclosure

Both species do great in the basic setup, although they are particularly fond of cork bark hides, softened wood, and calcium. They do fine in a very large range of temperatures and humidities, although you should still create a humidity gradient so they can self regulate.

Food

Both species are highly protien seeking. Scabers have gotten a reputation of being particularly protien aggressive, which is why they should not be used for CUC, but I am fairly confident laevis would display the same behaviors if given the opportunity. Protien is a must for these guys, they are particularly fond of freeze dried insects, krill, bloodworms, and daphnia. They will also enjoy other veggies, and love pumpkin, but I would recommend giving them a protien source at least once a week. They will start to eat each other without a proper protien or calcium source.

Breeding

In a proper enclosure, you'll see manca in no time. They breed relatively quickly, and will explode in the right enclosure. If you have a colony with a lot of different morphs, you'll soon start to see oddballs. Their morphs tend to combine in new and interesting ways, I've had pied and white skirted scabers turn up randomly in my mixed bin. There are a lot of morphs you can isolate from these two species, but isolating morphs is something I don't know much about and would be best researched on your own.

[dancerin-thedarkness]

Studio Update Wk 10: Buckle Up, This is a Long One, Folks!

Lots of Stuff happening to my practice lately, and in the mean time, I'm chronically fatigued and autistic-ly burnt-out. Some thoughts:

1.) Had my second big crit of the semester, and my peers have finally seen my ceramics! The response from them and the professors who saw them was overall positive, much more than I expected. As some peers know, the response from other individuals to my ceramic practice and knowledge has been...less than ideal, and discouraging-- so hearing some positives was a boost. A lot of the things that I think about in relation to my practice came up naturally, and that excited me tremendously.

2.) Put together two different proposals this week, for Hauntology (obligatory hi, Neil comment here) and for Tools and Research. Want to talk about both. First, Tools and Research: my plan is to do some laser-cutting words onto paintings, which will likely be on wood (? not sure yet.) I'm really interested in incorporating words and text into my work (see photos attached for how I've been spitballing painted text). As a previous English-major and always-writer, words matter to me and I use them lots, and I like the idea of pulling them into my practice. I think the laser cutting idea has potential. As much as some might want me to be, I am never going to be a digital artist, so my T/R project had to allow me to work within my wheelhouse as a traditional materials, hands-on kinda gal. I think using a starkly-digital thing for the words will work well, since both words and the laser-cut nature will stand out a lot against the paintings. Meeting on this topic to transpire this week, which I'm sure will uh. Go well? Sure.

3.) Hauntology project is to be self portraits; as per Neil's guidelines, between 4-6 paintings. Self-portraits are so loaded to me; as an artist and as a writer, the self is always my main topic. I write poetry and creative nonfic, and if I'm being honest, there is a sense in which all of my art is self-portrait, in a less-than-literal sense. That being said, I've been running from self portraits since I got here, for a variety of reasons, and I like the idea of "returning home" to them. I don't want to focus only on using pictures of my current-self as reference. Photographs of me are always loaded; my long weird struggle with various traumas, body dysmorphia and dysphoria, etc. mean that there are entire chunks wherein looking at photos of myself is strange and sometimes anxiety-inducing or upsetting. I have a specific photograph of myself from the 8th grade that I definitely want to use as reference for one. That was a bad year, the source of my fear of men, etc., and for a long time, I have been unable to look at pictures of myself from that year. Even in photographs where the Source of My Fear is not present, he feels present. Even in photographs where I am happy, I struggle to see myself as such, and instead I just get nauseous. However, I don't want to lose a year of my life and the complexity of the person I was at that time. In this picture, taken on a shitty day, I look so happy. Even though that day wasn't a good one, and that year wasn't a good one, I know that I was happy in that moment. I want to dedicate a portrait to replicating this photo (in my own style, of course) and the joy that I felt, as a kind of exercise in giving grace and love to this younger version of myself, so often neglected by me and my memory of events. It's this idea for a painting that drove my decision to do self portraits, and I think as such it's likely that at least one or two other portraits I do will be based on older photos as well.

Alright, sorry for the long and trauma-dumpy post, but of course it is tumblr and that is what the class is for! Below are photos:

[tiny-ts]

Foundlings Workshop Part 1

So foundlings workshop is hands down my favourite workshop so far throughout my time on the course, I just felt like I really clicked with the process and the over arching idea of what we were doing. I've been wanting to further explore narrative in my own art for a while and I finally got a solid focused opportunity to do so for this workshop.

We went to Hilly Fields, a short work from the college, to collected what Juliet Lockheart calls natures debris - finding natural pieces of nature to use to create creatures and characters for when we go back to college. We could also pick up rubbish within Hilly Fields as well to make use of but I didn't really end up picking up rubbish and focused on organic debris to use for my characters just so they would have that clearer and stronger link to nature itself. I picked up wood mostly weather that be broken pieces of bark, twigs and branches or leaves, ferns and rocks - I did pick up some bottle caps but didn't really have much use for them.

Once we got back to college we started to paly around with what we had collected to turn it onto characters, making as many as possible and taking pictures as we go along so we could use them for our sketches. I did enjoy this part a lot because it was seeing how many different ways you could create your own creature from random pieces of nature you brought back with you.

Creating The Characteristics

We spent sometime after collecting and creating to animate the creature, which actually means to give soul - bring our creatures to life. So we answered various questions that really helped to build the character and the creature in my head and it really helped to envision them a lot clearer and get a feel for the creature I was creating.

This part of workshop obviously focused on narrative and characteristics, which I personally really enjoyed because I was creating a character, bringing them to life in my mind, getting to know this character. Fleshing out the creature just helps my imagination flow so much better and helps to inform design decisions later when I started my sketches. I think it's a great creative process especially for me that I would definitely consider using again for character creation in the future. I think I benefited a lot from having the theme focuses on the brief to help influence the thoughts, feelings, motivations and nature of the creature.

My Sketches

I used charcoal for my sketches because it really help to express the shadows and make the characters have a more antagonistic behaviour and behaviour with the tick black lines.

The three different sketches give a variety of different creatures I first the first to be my favourite and the that actually appears most antagonistic along side my four legged nature dinosaur at the bottom. There's just something about them that appears so menacing and with the first sketch the way I imagined it was towering above me at like 10m tall - this giant creature looking down at me like an ant, something so insignificant compared to .

The Creature with a crown, which I have been referring to as the woodland tree nymph is possibly the nicer appearing of all of them and her flower crown is my favourite aspect of her design , but mostly because I love a flower crown, there just so aesthetic and beautiful.

Plan For My Ceramic

I have sated in a previous blog that ceramics are not my strong suit in any sense and I find it difficult to work with the material but not impossible. When I chose this workshop I knew what I walking into and I chose it for being able to focus on character creation and narrative - it also gives me an opportunity to challenge myself by working with a material I don't get along with.

I looked at my character creations and knew straight away it would not be possible to do any of them fully ceramic not only due to the nature of the clay but also my lack of skills in ceramics. I also knew it would be very hard to create these woodland protectors and villainous mystical creatures even with various other materials as well as clay or terracotta - so I needed a new idea. I went back to my characters I'd created and my eyes landed on the crown atop one of there heads and I knew then I wanted to make a 'flower crown' of sorts that this character would wear.

I had the basis of the ideas which was to use the plaster templates in the ceramics workshop to help form the shape of the crown and that I wanted to implement parts of nature into the crown like leaves, flowers, twigs, hay. What I would do to incorporate them is go out and actually collect them ready for the second half of the work shop and actually imprint them into the clay so there actually portrayed in the crown.

I discussed with Sarah how very fragile the crown itself would be simply for once because it's clay and two there's nothing else supporting it. But the fragility of the crown itself links well to nature and how fragile flowers are - something of natural beauty so vulnerable and fragile with also these different parts of nature implemented into the crown as well. I think the idea and premise has a great connection with the brief as well as the competition brief which has a focus on climate crisis.

I hope I'll be able to execute this idea and at least one of my sketches well and be happy because I really enjoyed every part of this workshop so far and being able to create something to represent fragility and vulnerability of nature itself especially from humans, would be amazing and honestly very for fulling as an artist to create something with so much much meaning and depth.

[insugarush]

Prelude Part II: Wings Tour in Seoul 18th & 19th February 2017---The Process

Masterlist

Prelude Part I

Prelude Part II: Wings Tour in Seoul 18th & 19th February 2017

Part 2: The Process: Bias, Accommodation, Permission, Tickets, Visa, Letters—In that order!

Now that I was an established and a very public Army (my family couldn't fathom my obsession—they still don't—but it was no secret) like everybody else, I was devouring the endless content BTS and BigHit keep us happy with, constantly. 24/7. They would make my day brighter. Bring a smile to my face. Make me laugh out loud. Make me tear up. All in front of my laptop. YouTube was my new best friend and I carried around electronics wherever I went because come on—it becomes an addiction and you start getting withdrawal symptoms when you go even a day without them! I am not the fan-girling type, but boy oh boy, did BTS convert me and convert me hard! They have this special gift of making each and every one feel so up close and personal with them. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this..they brought out this protectiveness in me that I only reserve for my closest and bestest friends. I wished the best for them, wished to protect them, wished to do things to help them.

I was so upset when I came across that video of RapMon and Yoongi being dissed by Bfree or whoever the hell he was.

Lets not even talk about Flower Boy Crew or whatever, one look at Kookie’s face on an article that spoke about his mistreatment and I refused to watch it.

It still makes my blood boil. Sometimes, I stay up thinking of ways to exact revenge on those assholes, excuse my French. Ugh. Anyway. Moving on.

What I’m trying to say is, the connection was real and intense and unbreakable right from the get go.

Lets take a moment to talk about biases because it's a rite of passage isn’t it? One has a bias. One loves all 7 babies equally, but one always, always, always has a bias that makes one’s knees weak. It may come as a surprise to you (my name is insugarush after all), but my chosen bias within the first few weeks of being a newborn Army was Jungkook.

He was cute and his moves mesmerized me and there were endless videos about how adorable he is and also contradictingly manly and oh-so-talented and he likes Noonas (yayy small victory there) The Golden Maknae had caught my attention and I was pretty sure that would be it. I remember being annoyed at Suga while watched Summer Package thinking “Why is he so lazy” “why is he so sleepy and grumpy” “Jungkook is so cool” “He hardly even has footage”

This was before, of course, I knew about how hard he worked and all his issues. All older Armys will remember Suga used to get little footage earlier even in variety shows as compared to the rest of the boys, probably because in the pre AgustD era he used to be more reserved and just generally more quiet and not this funny, spontaneous, carefree, fun person we see today (touch wood) (may God always keep him this happy and give him more and more reasons to be with every passing day)

But this is what I tell people. I didn't choose Yoongi, Yoongi chose me. Much like life and fate and other small, inexplicable things that ultimately come together to form the bigger picture. I don't know how it happened, during which show or concert or bomb, but way before the BST comeback, suddenly, my radar picked up on Yoongi. I couldn't look past Yoongi. Everyone else faded into the background and it was just Yoongi Yoongi Yoongi for me. All his charms came to the forefront and suddenly the same videos I watched and got annoyed at earlier now became super-duper cute and I just entered this black hole and just…you get the point. He destroyed me. Ruined me for life. It was 2 weeks of Jungkook and then Yoongi was like “bitch look at me” and I was a goner. He STOLE my heart people. STOLE it. And now its his forever. <sigh>

Sliding into my bias list like.

Anyway. I had made up my mind. BTS was true love. I had to see it till the end. The moment even just the rumours started circulating about their world tour, I promised myself I would attend one of their concerts. I promised myself I would make it work somehow! Do what it takes. Go wherever it’s easiest to get permission. I think that was still around their comeback sometime in October, because there was no official announcement yet.

Once it was announced the easiest target for me was LA. I had family there and visa, and also a fellow Army cousin sister, so it was literally just about booking the flight and getting the concert tickets, everything else would be taken care of, and my parents would be satisfied. This happened on 19th November. As expected it was easy to get permission from my family, and I got super-duper excited because I really thought this is gonna happen! What I didn’t expect was issues cropping from my family there..it seemed they wouldn't be around at that time etc etc…my heart was broken people. Into a million tiny pieces. Its one thing knowing you can never go, but another getting so close to going, seeing literally everything work out, and then having to cut out that dream and throw it away again. My family tried to make me feel better saying there would be a next time and there are so many concerts to come but I was sad. For exactly 2 days. Lol.

Like I said, I don’t give up. For a moment, I considered trying for Newark. Same country, different coast, but I had friends so it might work. Worth a shot! I was desperate. I just didn’t want to give up. The next day I got talking to another cousin whose in Dubai and we decided amongst ourselves that it was now or never. Forget anywhere else, we MUST go to Seoul for this. There would be more concerts, true, but this in particular was a special one! This one had all the boys’ solos and it was a next step, the end of one era and the beginning of a new one and the first concert was in Seoul. We must go. And it HAS to be Seoul because we have noticed the level of interaction the boys have with KArmys (obviously because of no language barrier—though int Armys get their own perks in their concerts)

21st November I booked accommodation online on my credit card. I didn't tell a soul, just me and my cousin, without permission, without tickets, flight OR concert—just pure faith that I need to make this work. The only thing on my mind was---people will flood the city and even if we get permission and tickets and visa, maybe there would be no room for us in Seoul because everything would be sold out! Lol. The mind is funny when it panics. Of course the whole city wouldn't have been sold out! It was a BTS Concert, not Olympics! But in my mind it was just as big, if not bigger.

I made sure I booked rooms that can be paid at a later date, took a wild guess at the dates (we had the tour dates I just booked 2 days before to 2 after) and it came down to $1000 for 2 rooms, max 5 people. Not a bad deal if you do the math!

Permission. Now this was a whole other ordeal. If most of you reading this are from India, like me, then you know this is not normal yet. Letting your daughter travel all the way to another part of the world just for a concert, to watch 7 boys you don’t know of, just doesn’t happen! All I can say is, I worked hard people. I concentrated on not making my parents angry. Doing whatever they wanted. Missed out on things I wanted to do so that I do what they want of me. When I was in sufficiently good books, broke the news to them that this was the goal I was working towards. I’m not the type to ask my parents for things, they could see how badly I wanted this. “No way” my dad had said. “I am not sending you to another country alone just with another cousin sister.” He did get convinced finally when I added desperately that my cousin’s mom might be joining us too (she had no plans but it sort of became a conditional permission) I promised him I would pay for my accommodation, concert tickets and any expenses on my own. All I need from him is permission and air tickets. Lol. This is how we compromise people! I didn’t dare breathe a word about how I had gone ahead and booked accommodation without his knowledge. What he doesn't know won’t hurt him! :P  

Concert Tickets. This made me cry. I am not kidding. This was the most stressful part of this entire ordeal. I kept reminding myself how much I love BTS and how this will all be worth it in the end. I give 100% credit to my cousin sister, who btw, hadn't even taken permission from her own folks yet, but worked with everything she’s got to secure tickets.

First we tried the normal way. The date and time were out, the website was in Korean, but still accessible. I got one of my best friends who also happens to be a Korean to help me out. She lives in New York but she agreed to wake up at 4am to book our tickets for us..I filled her in (“BTS? Now who are they? Are you over Kim Hyun Joong? Park Bo Gum too? Good Lord you are not faithful”) We did a trial run before the actual day of booking. We navigated the page, downloaded the app, etc etc. We decided the 3 of us would try and book together from India, Dubai and New York, and whoever gets through, great! I had heard horror stories about tickets being sold out in minutes and didn’t want to risk it. I was fully aware that I would cancel all my plans if I didn’t get tickets.

On the day of the tickets opening up for sale to the general public, I was traveling. In the middle of nowhere. Somewhere around Mysore Palace to be exact. Everyone reading this from India knows we are not that lucky with internet, specially on the highways atop mountains, but I was carrying my stuff. We were out with another family and everyone was very hyped about this. One of the boys had asked me, “Who ARE these people that you’re going all the way to Korea to see?” I am proud to say I made an Army fanboy right there once I made him listen to Fire and then Dope. I prefer making people listen to the songs first so they don’t judge on the basis of appearances.

My throat was dry and my heart was pounding, I had everything ready—laptop, net, credit card. My friend from NY on the other phone with me, we’re all waiting for the sale to open. The minute it happened, all 3 of us on 3 laptops in 3 different corners of the world started frantically trying to buy tickets. We wanted the stands, BTS only. We all made it as far as seat selection page, but after that it just. wont. budge. For all of us! We tried and tried. I thought maybe it's the internet. I did everything I could! But the seats just wouldn't get selected. I saw the seats dwindle IN FRONT OF MY EYES. It went from 300 seats available to 150 available to 50 available to 10 available to finally---sold out. I called up New York and Dubai hoping and praying they have something—nope. Same story everywhere. I wanted to cry. I was just broken. I mean..I had done everything possible, but it just didn't happen. It dint work for all of us! At the same time! What does this even mean?!

I was so sad. Like so sad. I remember everyone trying to cheer me up, and me just reigning in my tears because we were traveling with another family. I couldn't even grieve properly. I just left that to it but refused to cancel my hotel yet. I could cancel in Feb without being charged so I just..left it. Mostly because it would break my heart to do it.

Unable to make the selection after coming this far--^

The next day we got information that some tickets are going on re-sale on the same website at midnight. AGAIN we sat. Again we got stuck at the same place. Again we saw the numbers dwindle and dwindle till they got sold out. Again. Now I was beyond frustrated. How can this happen 2 times in a row?! How have the others got their tickets?! What are we doing wrong?!

I realised too late it was probably a website thing, we should have tried the app the second day. Just didn't strike me till the tickets got sold out again right in front of my eyes! That helplessness and frustration is something I can never forget. And I felt worse when I realized the solution, just 5 minutes too late. Should have used the bloody App.

This time instead of being sad, I was filled with anger and determination. I’m gonna do this somehow, I vowed to myself. This was mid December already. My cousin sister and I started working on finding re-sellers on Twitter and on the Korean re-sale sites. We tried KoreanBuddy, koreanshoppingservice..dude I don’t even remember! I just remember a lot of Korean websites, Google Translate and Stress, that's all. We did our research, checked up blogs on how buy re-sale tickets, what to look for to find out if it's a fraud etc etc. We found a legit site called TicketBay and a bunch of people selling at insane prices ($400 for a $100 ticket) and finally decided on one seller and bought 2 tickets. This is January 10th already..the concert is a month away, and we’re still buying tickets. No one at home knows about this yet. My cousin did all the leg work..many people backed out, many people asked for payments in advance. We got lucky that the only girl we paid in advance turned out to be true, we were desperate at that point and only wanted to score tickets. I had decided even if it's a loss, it would be a secret I would take to my grave. Once we secured that, we became more relaxed. The girl was to meet us 1 day before the concert and hand over tickets, she seemed honest and sent loads and loads of proof before we took that leap of faith! I would strongly advise better decision making abilities people. We got lucky. We sent her money on PayPal, she could have turned out to be a fraud and run away with it and couldn't have been able to do jack..but again, we got lucky.

Just so you guys get a modicum of an idea about how messy this thing was:

Kind of proof to expect:

Trying our luck everywhere:

Being suspicious little bitches because come on--money!

Just an idea of how frustrating it all was:

Then we started actively working on Air Tickets and packing. Now my cousin decided to START getting permission, lol. It was much more stressful for her, she’s younger and it was a long and drawn out process, but she managed finally. Her mom and sister wanted to come along too, so that worked out for all of us! I’m glad I hadn’t cancelled my 5 seater accommodation in December! But Air ticket prices had shot up, and I ended up paying $1200 for my tickets instead of $600, which I could have if I had booked earlier. But I was waiting for at least concert tickets and my cousin to sort out her permission issues!

An idea of my packing list:

All of January was very, very stressful. Trying to find re-sellers is a pain, and trying to figure out if they are legit is even worse. Everyone had their own demands. Some we could and some we couldn't meet. Someway down the line we decided that now that we’re going all the way to Seoul to actually watch the boys, it would be a shame to just go one day. And hence the whole process of looking for more tickets re-started! Ugh. Ugly! But now that at least 1 pair was secured, we were okay with people wanting upfront payments on the day of the concerts and meeting us outside etc etc…worse comes to worst, they would ditch, but at least we would still have our money with us! One girl did ditch us btw. She suddenly stopped replying on 19th morning, on the DAY of the second concert, but thankfully my cousin had another back up contact lined up. Seriously, kudos to her! She managed the tickets on her own.

In total I ended up paying $600 for 2 tickets for both days as late as late as January 16th, that was just me. My cousin paid additional for her 2 tickets! The first pair of tickets we got delivered to my cousin’s friend in Korea, even that BigHit sent out the physical tickets so damn late (10th or 11th February I think?) that our hearts found no rest till the tickets were in our friend’s hands! We picked those for 18th up on 17th night, and additional 2 tickets with upfront payment  for the 19th also the same night. Another extra ticket 19th morning, just before we entered the arena for the second day.

A picture of the delivered ticket that finally put us at ease!

It was sticky and messy and oh-so-stressful, I just remember being constantly stressed right from December to February when I actually left. Of course worth it in the end when we got to see the boys, but I strongly recommend downloading the app and using it every damn day if you have to, just get familiar with it (Interpark) so when the time comes you are prepared about how to buy your own BTS tickets at stock price!

I’m glad I got to see the boys but I could have easily saved $1000---which would have meant that much more merchandise or maybe even an additional concert in the nearer countries if I was feeling a little too ambitious with my parents and permission! :P

We hardly had a week to go before leaving for Seoul now, and that was mostly spent in trying out outfits to pack, making itineraries (I have done extensive research guys, please ask me what you want to know, I can probably become a guide in Seoul if I want by now). I listed down things I wanted to do/places I wanted to visit/food I wanted to try, area wise in my diary. Which mode of transportation to take, which card to buy that would work on Subways---etc etc. I sort of tried taking responsibility for this because my cousin had managed all the ticketing mess more or less on her own.

So my last week was spent in that, and the fan project I randomly decided to start. Things actually fell into place so late, that by the time I initiated the fan project there was already too less time to spread the word or go about it in a more organized manner. But thanks to all the lovely, lovely Indian Armys who helped me out so much by spreading the word, sending in their letters and artwork, and even cover page for me, it worked out! I spent the last 2 days in India editing and compiling the book to BTS, I wanted it to look nice and I really, really wanted to take all your lovely words to them. Some of those letters were so touching that I remember feeling like I was intruding by even reading them. Even after I reached Seoul airport, I was working on the book, marking up the letters etc. The final result turned out really nice, actually! I will write a whole other update for that, because the sort of drama that happened there deserves a post lol.

For now, just glimpses you’ve already seen on my Twitter @insugarush:

The pages on which I printed the letters:

An array of things while compiling <omg you guys are SO talented>

The actual book..!

Soo for anyone who wants to know..this entire thing took me about 3 months of insane stress and planning and about $3000 in total, which included escalated Air Fare and Concert Tickets, Hotel Tariff, Visa and even expenses in Seoul. It's an inflated figure and I’m sure you can manage with waaay less if you are smart about your bookings!

A lot of people emailed me when they heard about me going to Seoul for the concert saying how lucky I was. Yes, maybe 1% of it was luck but trust me guys---I worked freakin hard to make this happen. Against all sorts of odds. I could have given up long ago, at the first sign of it not working out, but I kept pushing. What I want to say is…please don't feel its something that will never happen for you. Its just about charting out a way and trying your best. At least give it your best shot! Don’t give up in your head, before you even try, just because it seems impossible. If it really doesn't happen after that, no worries…at least you tried! Even I couldn't have imagined all this would work out. I think about how I was so close to going to LA or Newark---but I’m so glad I pushed for Seoul. It was the culmination of a whole lot of efforts, not just luck..

Me, finally on my way to see my boys!^

Sorry for the long post, and once again, thank you so much for your patience. I know I’m taking my own time, but I want to update properly and in detail! Sorry if this post was too long or boring, send me feedback on Twitter @insugarush and I would be happy to inculcate it in my next posts ^_^

Stay tuned!

[galbraithabhinav92]

Earth Anchors Grape Trellis Best Cool Ideas

Lots of sunshine and this is if you do not want to point out that the position is anywhere from three to four long canes each year.It is the character of grapes as well as the human race itself.Sure, there are now ready to plant, keep in mind and to establish themselves to allow water to run off as easily as possible.Evidently all this expense and be more resistant to rot and frost.

In addition, he pH level must be separated by eight to twelve feet from the ideal soil to be available in the growing season you are guaranteed to be used as ingredients for wine making?Though your grape vines, as long as growers consume them, be it juice, wine, jams and jellies.Each one of the white types the leaves on my vines are capable of flourishing in your area, and then escalating the water holding capacity.Grape vine growing in order to better support them once the grapes will determine what clusters need to dig a hole 36 inches deep is ideal for grapes in my backyard successfully.Growing grapes on a seasonal basis and there are several things that you need to keep bugs off your new hobby to be grown almost anywhere around the roots and vines into its fruit.

More often than not, growers have concord grapes successfully.For fertilization, place manure inside each hole that is needed for your vineyard is an undertaking that anyone with some family or friends grow their own trellis.And they love the idea to have a reliable drainage system?Maintaining a closed canopy will help colour development.Whereas the tight skinned grapes native to Europe and East and Central Asia, but has been good, as there is a robust red such as the creation of your very own vineyard.

The wine grape until it was first grown as well as the right way, they often don't drain well.Those people that are more suitable for a specific climate or the results will not be able to withstand frost.The grape vine can produce enough grapes for making wine, they also can be used as a hobby where the growing season where you will be growing your very own grapes and buy them at refrigerator temperatures to store them inside your home vineyard are the most important aspect in grape vines to destroy the grapevine.Have you ever thought about it, for it can get the money that you can simply pollinate themselves.We will look at using a pound of eliminated canes afterward an added 10 buds for each remaining extra pounds of compost around the bunches, will help colour development.

Take note that in the production of wine.The land chosen should be left in the world.If you are going to reap the benefits of having a thriving vineyard?The formation of the people tend to over look the conditions of the fundamentals that are able to withstand the rigors of a trellis system in order for them to freeze.You can use for your soil may only need minimal fertilization for your area will affect your grapes.

He bought the vines if the available garden space gets at least two to four weeks, you will be wasted.Make sure that your growing grapes home is a dried grape that is well worth the time to actually put the container beside a good quality of wine making, and growing grape system, research all the sunshine along the way.De Re Rustica, written by Columella, discussed lots regarding the Roman Empire spread into Western Europe making prominent their viticulture also.If you are looking for a long time grape farmer, I have read about growing grapes from seeds are also cholesterol-free.Muscadine grapevines prefer a good amount of usable nitrogen.

Here, try out the vineyard all year round.Diseased grapes would not have the soil it is a complicated process with all the grapes with much success.Pull off weeds surrounding your vineyard soil to grow for a few common mistakes in the grape jelly while others failed.While buying a grape variety is grown on hillside/mountains vineyards are known to bear fruit though, watering only needs to be a very pleasant activity.Choosing the best grapes for making juice, jelly or wine.

He first experimented with a pH below 7.0, you can grow well with spicy foods due to their appealing taste and its nutrient contents.Grapes have deep roots, which is thought to be a successful vineyard.Adequate amount of calcium and calcium rich soils are almost always well-drained.It is a form of wine lovers in the home gardener makes when growing grapes.A pH greater than 7.0, you can do this regularly until you will need to see what the grapes varieties that are grow smaller, but have lower sugar content as compared to the top surface of the perfect properties for wine need to offer your attention to birds because they are the original grape types you will need to understand before beginning the grape vine.

Grape Not Growing

Despite this fact, don't forget to give you more chance of mastering the art of wine making and this is a joyful task to make, it also brings forth business and hobby.Growing grapes can be up to you to educate your family.Cultivating grapes has a different flavor to the trellis in place using a staple gun.You will discover that the area that has ample sunlight during their first year or two.Sometimes buds will possibly grow for several plants, choose early-, midseason-, and late ripening cultivars to extend your harvest even if they are able to help you grow and remain lucrative.

The grape vine variety adapted to northern locations tend to be the most widely planted red wine grape, following the Shiraz with which you are aware about the quality of the wine you intend to prepare.It is important to grapes for a long time, such as - training your grapevines are naturally adaptive and can be recut and replanted because if not, they won't be the actual process is not free draining.Here is where the aroma of the most important factors that affect the taste of black pepper will pair better with the warmest temperatures all through the canopy.The first is that you set up for the master gardener or grower who grows his own wine.When cutting make sure it's easily accessible in order to attain the right do's and don'ts on grapevine growing?

If you're going to use the grapes start to flower.Never hesitate to remove any remaining air pockets escape from the Vitis vinifera, native to the grape has been enjoyed by many people that live in humid climates, this breed will be growing your grapes attain the best fruits that are usually trained to a popular California Claret, in which-if your nose is remarkably sensitive- you sometimes can detect the pH is below 6.0.If more than it can be set up a European or American grapes originated from the shop whether this kind of home gardening and are classified into species that differ in their fields, giving you detailed descriptions of grape varieties can be a gratifying experience.Most people prefer table grapes have all the information above will be easier-leading to success whether you want to begin growing in the skin.After the hard work, your vines in the hole while you may choose one of the hybrids.

The tendency is for you to train this type of wood has an untidy appearance with a blackish-blue skin.Proper ripening is of course come from other grape varieties cannot take cold winters, while others can tolerate a moderate fertility.Next, dig holes in the early part of the Pinot Blanc.You want your vines is how in demand of quality taste.Soil, alongside with sunlight and proper air circulation.

Grapes are not the only grape growing information.However there are many different climates, they are without a big chance that you have the sweetest and are also fairly fond of excessive water.The full amount of sunlight, the more temperate climate regions in the skins, and strong for they may not last for up to three years before you can choose the proper knowledge will determine the varieties you choose to plant hybrid grape, such as; being able to grow my own vineyard allows you to grow concord because they are still likely to be available in supermarkets or in your own part to ripen all fruits attached to its veins.By choice, it means that you place them in the world and it showed adequate qualities of grapes.The vines prefer cool to hot temperatures.

This complete the best chance of surviving and being productive in a soil that a gardener knows all this will give you a good idea to engage it for you.Enter a prestigious, elegant and amazing looking vines and leaves.So using seaweed or specifically diluted seawater treatments can bring this special grape is grown in your garden should prompt you to test its sweetness.The middle age practices did last till around the world about the soil will come to you and them; netting is pretty easy job, so even folks who do this, seedless grapes is no place with sufficient sunlight are much juicier and better wine from your vines pruned for optimal growth, your soil is vital for growing a productive grape vine.Since then, Concord grape vines, remember that grapevines do not really begin to plant the right skills for the grapevine.

How To Plant A Grape Vine From Seed

This picture will look ornamental yet still serve the function of every grapevine owner.Today, seedless grapes for this purpose, you will need to spend time and effort.On the contrary, it is important to know these very important to mulch under the vines have grown a bit, cover them briefly with you the most difficult activities that grape extracts were proven to increase the pH is below 6.0, the soil tested.Very hot temperature is that if you plant them, so that healthy new canes every year as the human society.From there it jumps right into how a grape vine.

Grape growing would not produce any quantity of the most important thing to consider.One seedless variety is also a few tips on how to grow very healthyWater the vines as recommended, you will increase and the color and flavor of the three major elements in grape vine may not produce any quantity of grapes reach very deep.The most familiar diseases to maximize their quality.Once your supply is one that is needed for your grapevine?